Reunited
by eternalember
Summary: Faith dies trying to capture Angelus, and now, the only person who can help the LA gang lives in a town called Sunnydale...
1. One Last hope

Disclaimer: sadly, I own nothing except for the plot. Joss (aka THE GOD) owns it all

This starts at the episode 'release'. Angelus defeats Faith and kills her as she bravely tries to fight. Conner realizes that he has to bring Angelus home, but now he can only turn to one slayer…

Wesley stood beside Faith at the warehouse…she breathed heavily and gripped at her bleeding side.

"I'm so sorry Wes… I guess I can't do anything right with you huh?" She said with a forced laugh. Her face was bruised and caked dried blood surrounded her lips.

"Hush now…" Wesley whispered, clutching onto her hand. "Faith, I am so proud of you. Promise me you'll never forget that."

She smiled weakly, "I wont."

Her hand went cold as she silently faded into the night.

Angelus proudly walked away from the warehouse like a victorious soldier fresh from a battle.

"That was too easy…" He muttered to himself.

He began to prowl the streets for food, when he spotted a woman hiding behind a dumpster. He licked his lips.

"Don't worry ma'm, I'm here to help you…" he called to her.

Relieved from the sound of his voice, the woman stood up, but screamed at the sight of his disfigured face.

Tension was thick in the air at the Hyperion Hotel. Faith had been their only hope; their last chance at saving Angelus. Wesley buried his face in his hands and slumped into a cushy chair.

"I was so sure…" he began to say.

"Wesley, that's enough!" Fred had nearly lost it. "She's gone okay? Faith is dead and now we have a bigger problem to deal with!"

Wesley looked at her in shock. No one ever understood Faith. She had always been 'the problem' more so, 'his problem'. "How dare you make it sound like Faith was a thorn in our side! You have no right to belittle her death!"

Fred became silent.

"Just chill out Wes okay? We're all really uptight right now." Gunn said.

They all sat in silence as the city around them overflowed with darkness. Every crevice had become a dwelling place of evil and anger. Buildings and offices were now heaping piles of ash and exquisite restaurants were now vampire-infested hangouts.

"So where do we go from here?" Wesley asked to no one in particular.

They all waited.

Suddenly, Conner perked and stood up. "Buffy…" he said.

"What?" Gunn looked at him.

"Faith may be dead, but we haven't run out of slayers yet." He said boldly.

Fred, Wesley, and Gunn looked at each other, then back at Conner.

"Conner…Buffy was put through hell last time this happened. What makes you think she'll come?" Wesley softly asked.

Conner didn't know what to say. He'd never met Buffy and his father had barely talked about her with him.

"Because she loved him…and maybe she still does."

Wesley looked at the boy. He was eager and ready, and he looked so hopeful. Maybe this could work after all. A weak smile came to his face.

"Conner, find Buffy's number in Angel's room." He ordered.

"The phones are all dead."

Wesley sighed. "In that case, Gunn get the car. We're taking a trip to Sunnydale."

What do you think of my intro? I can tell that I'm going to have a lot of fun writing this! Please review! I need all the constructive feedback I can get at this point!


	2. Welcome To Sunnydale

After what seemed like an eternity, the car sped past a sign reading 'Welcome to Sunnydale'. The gang had decided to leave the moody and bloated Cordelia behind to rest in her room.

"So this is the famous Sunnydale huh?" Gunn asked gripping the wheel.

Wesley nodded and looked out the passenger seat window. It seemed as though time had stopped here after he left; everything was pretty much still the same. Quaint houses lined the streets and the same shops remained.

"Geez, this place looks like any other town to me." Fred said. She had obviously been expecting some demon-infested area.

Wesley smiled. The average town façade of Sunnydale fooled nearly everyone. It looked like a peaceful place, but in reality, it was hell.

"Home sweet home…" Wesley whispered.

"We've passed this street at least four times!" Conner groaned. They had been searching for Buffy Summers house for nearly an hour.

"I haven't been here in ages okay! Plus, I don't remember it being this hard to find her house…" Wesley retaliated.

"Wesley! We don't have much time left! Maybe we can ask someone…" Fred offered.

"No! I mean- no." Wesley said.

Fred rolled her eyes. "What is it with men and asking for directions?"

Suddenly, Gunn turned a corner onto a familiar street. It was dark, but Wesley could make out a house with two white pillars and a huge pine tree on the front lawn. A green hedge framed the front of the house. Yes indeed, this house belonged to Buffy; it just had to.

"This is it." He said, motioning to Gunn to stop. It was time to take a trip down memory lane.

"Dawn! I can't find my stake!' Buffy screamed up the stairs.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I saw them on the table! Geez, if you can't find it just get another one!"

"But I want that one…" Buffy muttered to herself and folded her arms. She grinned at her childishness and looked under the table. There it lay, sharp and lifeless.

The night was clear and warm, perfect for hunting. Buffy threw her duffel over her shoulder just as the doorbell rang.

"I got it!" she called to Dawn.

The girl answered the door and stood perfectly still, covering her mouth with her hand.

Conner looked at the woman standing in front of him across the threshold. She was petite and beautiful, with wavy honey blonde hair. Her lips looked soft, but her eyes looked angry and exasperated.

"Are you Buffy?" He asked bluntly.

Buffy stood in silence. She had never met this kid in her life, but something about him was refreshingly familiar. His eyes were dark and mesmerizing, reminding her of someone she used to know and love.

"Yes-yes I am. And you would be…?"

"Conner."

Wesley came from behind him and smiled at Buffy. "Long time no see."

Buffy ran and hugged him.

"Wesley! I can't believe it! Look at you!" She exclaimed. His rugged look almost wasn't recognizable.

Wesley grinned and introduced Gunn and Fred. He noticed Buffy looking at the car, waiting for a certain someone to appear.

"He's not here…" He said softly.

She smiled weakly, pretending not to notice what he said, and welcomed her guests inside.

They all sat awkwardly in the living room. Fred busied herself with looking at family photos and Gunn stared at his boots.

"So…what brings you to Sunnydale…" Buffy asked. She wanted to know what the hell they were doing here with no previous contact at all, but knew it would be really stupid to say that.

Wesley brushed his hand through his hair, not knowing how to begin.

"Buffy, so many things have happened…" he began to say.

"Is it Angel?" Buffy quickly inquired.

Wesley nodded.

"Wolfram and Hart had brought Darla back about a year ago, trying to find Angel's weakness." He said.

"What? But..." Buffy looked dazed.

"It seems impossible, I know. Anyways, Drusilla sired her-"

Buffy held up a hand to stop Wesley, "Woa, so you're saying that they brought her back as _human_?"

Wesley nodded and Buffy sank further into the couch.

"What happened was…well, this is certainly hard to explain, but Darla became pregnant."

Buffy now looked more confused than ever.

"Buffy, Angel and Darla had a baby. A boy actually…named Conner."

Buffy almost stopped breathing. She looked at the silent boy, at those familiar eyes.

"But…how…no…it can't be, it's not possible." She stuttered.

"Conner was kidnapped and brought up in a hell dimension."

"That's why he's so…" Buffy couldn't finish. She felt so lost and so confused. How could Angel and Darla have a baby? How could they?

Gunn remained silent, but Fred finally spoke.

"There is a prophecy about all of this, but that's not important. A demon is wrecking all hell in L.A." She said.

"So you what, expect me to come save you or something?" Buffy said slightly angry.

"Buffy…Angelus is back." Wesley said softly.

She whimpered and ran into the kitchen.

Angelus laughed as he walked back to the warehouse…his palace. Blood trickled from his chin and he wiped it away with a sleeve. He had eaten his full and now it was time to plan. The Angel Investigations crew wasn't going to give up without a fight, and he knew that only too well. Now he had to anticipate their next move…

Buffy leaned against the counter and closed her eyes. She counted to ten and opened her eyes, hoping that everything would just go away.

It didn't.

She loathed Angelus with passion, he was the one who hurt everyone, killed her friends.

Wesley walked into the kitchen and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Buffy…"

She angrily brushed him away. "Who was it? Who brought back Angelus?" she demanded. "Was it Darla?"

She was overflowing with anger towards Angel. How could he do this after what happened last time?

"Buffy, you don't understand. _We _brought him back." Wesley said.

The girl standing before him looked extremely puzzled.

"We felt that Angelus would be able to give us valuable information about the beast, but of course, he got away, as well as his soul." Wesley sighed. "And that's why we need your help."

"Wesley, this is all really sudden, and disturbing, and scary, and a trillion other things! I'm still hung up on square one…the whole Conner thing…" Her voice trails.

"Buffy I understand-" He started.

"No! Wesley, you don't have a clue! They had a little 'fling' or whatever and they had a son! First of all, Angel and Darla…it makes me mad, ok? Secondly, VAMPIRES DON'T HAVE KIDS!" Buffy screamed.

Dawn could be heard turning up her stereo and slamming her door shut.

Wesley tried to calm Buffy, "Buffy, this is all so hard to explain, but we need your help, now."

She had begun to cry into her old friends shoulder.

"I-I don't think I can face him again Wesley…" She whispered.

"You can fight all sorts of demons but you can't-" he tried to joke.

"You know this is different."

He smiled. "You've fought him before, what makes you think you can't do it again?"

She sniffed, and gave him a thin smile. "You're stupid."

"I know."

"But I'll do whatever I can."

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More on the way! Tell me how you like it so far!


	3. Facing The Music

Buffy wiped at her eyes and marched back into the living room, Wesley trailing behind her. Conner stared at the floor. It was a mistake; he was a mistake. And what did he expect, for her to run and give him a hug or something?

Gunn and Fred awkwardly sat on the couch. No one knew what to say to this girl who'd just been thrown into their problem.

"Ok you guys. We all know that Angelus isn't stupid. Which really sucks for us…Anyways, by now he probably knows that you all came to Sunnydale." Buffy stated.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So here's what we do. We get back to L.A. ASAP and try to find him…then we kick his ass. Any questions?"

They drove all the way to Sunnydale for that.

Gunn raised his hand sarcastically. "Umm yeah, where's the part where we come up with 'the logic plan' or whatever?"

Buffy smiled. "Let me take care of that."

Of course! Why hadn't he thought of that earlier?

Angelus paced around before his eureka moment. One slayer down, but still one to go. They were going to bring in Buffy.

This is going to be fun, he thought to himself. Angel's pitiful soft spot for that cheerleader disgusted him.

"I'm gonna kick her ass…" he said out loud. Then, he left to go feed.

The car ride to L.A. had been weird, especially sitting next to Conner. Dawn hadn't been too thrilled about her leaving either.

But man it felt good to get out of that car.

It felt like forever since she'd come to the City of Angels, and it really sucked right now. The streets were filled with darkness and havoc and the black sky loomed above her like a cloud.

"This way." Wesley said, guiding her to the hotel.

Buffy looked around her. It was pretty ok, kind of grim, but that probably had to do with the permanent night thing. There was a weapon cabinet in broad display, very Angel-like, not to mention stacks of books all over the place.

"Can I see Cordelia?" She asked.

Conner quickly froze. "Uh…no, shes really tired right now."

Buffy shrugged.

"Ok Conner, I need your help." She sighed. "I'll bet a million bucks that you're a lurker like your dad."

"Umm…I guess…"

Fred nodded in extreme agreement.

"Ok, then I need you to find Angelus. But wait, find him, and tell me where he is, but make sure he doesn't see you. This is really important."

The boy left within the blink of an eye, disappearing into the city.

"As for us, we wait. Once we know where Angelus is, we can work from there."

An hour or so later, Conner reappeared, reminding Buffy of Lassie. He told the gang that he followed Angelus's scent to a warehouse. He drew a quick sketch of the floor plan. It was pretty basic, except for a loft in the upper right hand corner.

Buffy thought for a moment and let it all sink in. She took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said, "Here's the plan…"

Five minutes tops, Angelus thought. I'll give that slayer five minutes before she comes. He had smelled Conner earlier and pretended not to notice.

Stupid girl.

Oh well, at least he was ready. He could take her on this time for sure.

The gang split into groups as they headed for the back of the warehouse. Conner and Wesley headed to the front, and Fred and Gunn stayed at the back. Buffy was alone, armed with a tranquilizer gun, ready for anything. She had called Willow and everything, and she was on her way. If all went well, Angel would be back within the next few hours.

Having the gun made her feel like she was hunting an animal. Angelus was no different than a ruthless beast, but it was still strange. Since Angel had moved to L.A. she didn't think she'd be doing this again.

But she was.

The gun felt heavy and awkward, unlike her lovely little sharp stakes. She'd specifically told everyone, including the reluctant Conner, no stakes allowed.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared from nowhere.

"Hello lamb." Angelus said with a wiry smile.

"Angelus." Buffy said with anger. The word felt like poison on her lips.

She stood perfectly still, gun at side, as he walked around her, observing.

He came close and touched her neck. "I missed you." He whispered into her ear.

She backed away and he laughed. It was Angelus's laugh, villainous and cruel.

"I knew you'd come eventually. I guess the whole Faith thing didn't work out." He laughed again. "I guess she's not really my type."

She felt her blood boil inside her and kicked him in his side. He staggered, but quickly found his balance.

"Are we gonna fight or are you gonna talk?" She asked defiantly, watching his lips turn into a crooked, evil smile.

He launched at her, but she was too fast, she punched him in the gut.

"Not bad." He said.

She kept moving back, trying to get him cornered at the loft. Wesley and Conner would meet her there. He kicked her in her side hard and fast, like a baseball being launched at 100mph.

Angelus grabbed her arm attempting to twist it back but she took her gun and slammed it into his chest. He hastily punched at her and missed, but got to his feet and tried again. She fell to the ground.

He kicked her.

He kicked her with so much anger and passion that she almost became afraid. Crimson blood streaked her lip and chin.

C'mon! Get up! She told her self.

Painfully, Buffy got to her feet and attempted to punch him but he threw her into a pile of boxes like a raggedy ann doll.

"Wow Buffy, you're really performing below my expectations." He laughed and grabbed a metal rod from the ground.

Wait for it, she told herself.

He plunged at her, but at an inch away, she rolled over and jumped up. She threw herself at the vampire with everything she had. She slapped him and punched him until his forehead bled. Then, of course, the final touch, she kicked him in the crotch.

He groaned in pain as she staggered off to the loft, battered and bloody. Buffy clung to hanging ropes to support herself.

Angelus followed her up to the loft, and looked around.

Where did she go?

"Oh Buffy…come out come out wherever you are…" he called.

Suddenly from behind, Angelus received the blow of a lifetime from Conner. Wesley then seized the gun and shot him in the neck with the tranquilizer. He then ran to the slayer's aid.

"It's over," he whispered, "you did it."

Then he and Conner helped the tired girl to her feet, and dragged Angelus back to the hotel.

Buffy rested on the couch at the hotel with and icepack on her face. Her lips were swollen, and her eye had turned deep purple. She vaguely recalled seeing Willow at her side, but she was so tired, she just passed out then and there.

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I know what you're thinking…what happened to the beast right? Ok, I had an extremely hard time putting that whole situation into the plot, so I'll leave it up to you to decide what happened to him. Review review!


	4. Nothing To Lose

"Is she gonna be ok?" Willow asked Fred with worry.

Fred looked at the sleeping girl on the couch. "Yeah, she's just shaken up."

Willow nodded and got back to preparing her altar. Retrieving a soul was no easy task and it would take a lot of energy.

"Do you have any sage somewhere?" She asked.

Fred shrugged. "Probably upstairs somewhere."

Cordelia prepared her spell. Buffy was ruining everything, her plan was and inch away from shattering. Suddenly, she heard someone down the hallway and covered the jar containing Angel's soul with a quilt.

Willow saw a light coming from one of the many rooms. She walked towards it.

"Cordelia!" Willow exclaimed in excitement.

"Willow!" Cordelia tried to sound enthusiastic while covering herself with numerous blankets.

Willow tried to hug her but Cordelia quickly moved back.

"I'm sick Willow, you probably shouldn't get too close." She said with a fake cough.

Willow nodded. "Ok then, I'll let you rest. I hope you feel better soon!"

Cordelia flashed the fakest smile as Willow closed the door behind her.

"Ok, it's all ready." Willow stated with complete confidence. She began to chant.

Cordelia concentrated her hands on the jar and chanted rhythmically. She threw everything she could at Willow.

Willow ignored her uneasy feelings and continued to chant, this time, more furiously and passionately. She felt the room shake and darkness coming over her, but she had to finish what she had started.

The jar exploded into a million of tiny glass fragments as Cordelia shielded her eyes.

"Nooooo!" She screamed.

It was ruined, all ruined now.

The gang ran to the basement to find him staggering to his feet. He wobbled a little before gaining his balance again.

"It's ok, it's me." He said.

Angel was back.


	5. Together Once Again

Buffy woke up with a moan. She cradled her bruised side and proceeded to get out of bed. I was all so foreign, the creaky bed, the peeling violet wallpaper that surrounded her.

Then she remembered where she was, and the events from the night before flooded back into her mind.

Wesley must have brought her up to the room, she concluded. A water-filled Ziploc bag, the remnants of an ice pack, had leaked onto the sheets. Buffy rubbed at a dusty mirror on the wall and touched her face. The swelling on her lip had gone down, but her eye was still pretty bruised. She looked blotchy and unkempt, not very Buffy-like.

It was probably very early, but then again, it was hard to tell. It was dark outside as usual. Buffy decided that a cup of coffee might wake her up.

"Coffee…coffee…" Buffy searched through cupboards. She had the mug, the pot, the sugar, everything but the magic ingredient.

"There you are." She said out loud, finding a large container of Folgers.

She went towards the courtyard and stopped in her tracks.

Angel leaned against the rail, starring at the dark street in front of him. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned and saw her.

Buffy starred back at him, desperately trying not to look into his eyes, but failing. It was him; her Angel.

They starred at each other for a few moments, before he spoke.

"Hey." He said shortly.

"Hey."

He had no idea what else to say. Sorry for the black eye?

"I'll bet it's usually peaceful here." She said with out looking at him. She boldly moved closer to the rail; closer to him.

"Yeah, it is."

Buffy sipped at her coffee, taking in its pleasant aroma.

"Buffy I'm-" Angel started.

"Don't. Don't say you're sorry." She quickly interrupted. This time, she met his eyes.

He got frustrated. "What else should I say?"

"I just want to finish my coffee, get Willow, and leave the minute I can!" She said hotly.

"So you think it's that simple?"

Of course she didn't. Buffy knew what she had to tell him, because otherwise she knew she'd regret it.

"You have a son…" she said quietly.

He sighed. "Buffy…"

Her eyes started to well up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He turned away, not knowing what to say.

"Angel please talk to me, why didn't you tell me earlier?" She asked.

Still no answer.

She couldn't help it. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to wipe them away.

"I missed you!' She screamed. "I miss you all the time, and then he-he shows up and-."

Immediately she found herself in his arms. He held her as she cried and cried and screamed meaningless words that didn't matter, because there they were, together again.

He kissed her forehead and she wept. She wept knowing that this familiar moment in Angel's arms would end, and she would be back in Sunnydale.

"Don't cry love." He whispered into her ear.

"It just-it makes me feel really hurt…Darla and you…and then seeing you like that again…" she said.

He wiped away her tears and looked into her sorrowful eyes.

"I know I shouldn't be mad, when you left, we went our separate ways, but you and Darla had something I could never have with you." She said.

He wrapped her up in his arms again and wished that he could keep her there. Memories flooded into his mind. He remembered when he became human, she wouldn't know now, but he'd never forget holding her in his arms that night. It was just them, together.

He tried to smile. "I won't say sorry, but can I at least thank you?"

"You better."

They laughed. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, they laughed together.

Buffy and Willow stood in the hotel lobby.

"Bye Wesley, thanks for bringing me into this mess." Buffy joked.

He smiled. "My pleasure. Buffy, we couldn't have gotten him back without you or Willow."

The girls looked at each other. "We know." They said.

Angel thanked Willow and turned to Buffy.

"I guess this is it."

"I guess so."

He smiled and kissed her softly.

"I'll never stop loving you Angel." She whispered into his ear.

"I'll always love you." He whispered back.

She walked towards the door as far as she could before letting go of his hand, and with that, she turned around and walked away.

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So what did you think? This is one of the longest fanfics I've ever written!


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